HELLO, AGAIN: Joe Torre (pictured), who was at the helm for four Yankees championships, including 1996, will lead his Dodgers against his former team when the Yankees begin their L.A. visit tonight.UPI

The similarities between the past two Yankees managers go beyond their first names.

Joe Girardi’s first season as Yankees manager ended with the team missing the playoffs for the first time in 13 seasons. His second one ended with the Yankees’ first World Series title since Joe Torre led them to four championships in five years ending in 2000.

“There are so many similarities between those two managers,” said Buck Showalter, who started the Yankees’ playoff streak in 1995, before being fired and replaced by Torre for the 1996 season.

“Girardi is a younger version of Torre in a lot of ways. They both have a deep fire that the players respect, but they don’t wear it on their sleeves. It plays well with the team and in New York.”

The two will face off this weekend in Los Angeles, where Torre is set to go against the Yankees for the first time since his hasty departure following the 2007 season. Torre did not miss the playoffs in his 12 seasons in pinstripes, but then went seven years without a World Series, which put him on the New York hot seat. The Yankees offered him an incentive-laden contract extension, which Torre took as an insult and left the team.

It did not take him long to find a new home in Los Angeles, which he has led to the NLCS in both seasons.

“I think we make the mistake sometimes in New York that we think we have a corner on pressure,” said Showalter, now an analyst on ESPN’s ‘Baseball Tonight.’ “There’s pressure everywhere. It’s a challenging job, but Joe’s got the background and the pedigree that he’s not as easily influenced by what someone might say. He’s got a pretty good grip on how to get the team where it needs to go.”

At times Torre might feel like he is right back in The Bronx this season. Dodgers owner Frank McCourt is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. He’s involved in a messy divorce that some have speculated will rob the Dodgers of the ability to land a big-name player when they are involved in a tight NL West race.

When the Dodgers were struggling in April, general manager Ned Colletti ripped the team on a radio show. And let’s not forget Torre has the pleasure of dealing with Manny Ramirez for 162 games this season.

“Joe can manage in a lot of different situations,” said Showalter, who interviewed for the Orioles’ managerial job on Wednesday.

“There’s a certain calmness that stays on a club. There is a certain eye-on-the-finish-line mentality that helps his team. He knows what the end game is and what you are trying to accomplish in a 162-game season and that’s always been a calming influence.”

And there are certain things that Torre has to deal with in Los Angeles that weren’t an issue in New York.

“You never had to worry about a player getting comfortable in New York,” Showalter said. “Between the fans and the media, I never had to worry about a guy not giving his all because they would sniff a phony out in a heartbeat around here. And I think there are some parts about this that Joe might miss.”